Iran Nuclear Deal: The Role of the People in the Fall of the Religious Dictatorship

London, 30 Sep - The future of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal negotiated by former US President Barack Obama is on shaky ground. During his first ever United Nations General Assembly speech, President Donald Trump made quite a statement. He called the nuclear deal an “embarrassment” to his country because it is so one-sided.

He added: “The Iranian government masks a corrupt dictatorship behind the false guise of a democracy. It has turned a wealthy country with a rich history and culture into an economically depleted rogue state whose chief exports are violence, bloodshed, and chaos. The longest-suffering victims of Iran’s leaders are, in fact, its own people.”

It was a strongly-worded speech that made some of the other diplomats and world leaders uncomfortable.

Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu, however, praised the speech and said that the international community needs to pay attention to what Trump is saying. He warned that the Iranian regime – which has threatened to destroy his country – is very dangerous and needs to be stopped immediately.

It is also very significant that Trump mentioned the long-suffering people of Iran. For decades, the Iranian people have been the main victims of the religious dictatorship ruling their country. They have had their hopes and dreams for a bright future well and truly crushed. The human rights situation there is one of the world in the world, as attested by the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran who said in her latest report that there are very worrying issues that need urgently addressed.

She made special mention about the 1988 massacre in which tens of thousands of political prisoners were killed by authorities. She highlighted that the perpetrators of this crime, one of the worst in modern history, have never been punished for their involvement. She also highlighted the cruelty of the victims being buried in unmarked mass graves, leaving families unable to properly grieve for their loved ones.

What makes the quest for justice all the more urgent is the fact that the Iranian regime is destroying evidence by building over or modifying mass grave sites. The Iranian government cannot be trusted to carry out an investigation into the massacre and people are calling out for an international and independent investigation.

The Iranian government is corrupt to the core. People that were involved in the execution of the mass massacre in 1988 have moved up in ranks in the government. Despite huge international condemnations of the massacre, involvement in the atrocity has not worked against officials holding important positions. One of the main candidates in the recent presidential elections was Ebrahim Raisi – a member of one of the death-commissions that arranged the executions. And the current Minister of Justice Alireza Avayi was, ironically, also part of one.

However, the justice campaign is gaining ground and many people inside and outside of Iran will never stop in their efforts. The fall of the corrupt regime is imminent if the people are supported by the international community.